# New Science Fiction Novelists **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 14, 2003, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-science-fiction-novelists/175182 "2003-05-14T12:59:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2003, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-science-fiction-novelists/175182/1 "2003-05-14T12:59:10Z")
I moderate an online Science Fiction Novel discussion group and I’d like a bit of help if y’all may. The way that it is set up is that people nominate an upcoming book based upon a “theme” (Women authors, Cyberpunk, etc), then we vote among the nominations and the book with the most votes wins. Pretty simple, eh? The problem is with this month’s theme: “Newly Published Authors.” I chose this theme because, as you can expect, all the books we’ve read so far have been the standard “classics” and I was looking for some variety. Unfortunately, I might have been a little constrictive in my definition of a “NPA” - an author whose first published _novel_ appeared in 1998 or later - as there are a dearth of nominations. I chose Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds, and so far, that’s the only nomination. ☹ What I’d like are some suggestions as to authors that fit my bill. I read Science Fiction, hell I _love_ science fiction, but I don’t have time to read everything and I’m coming up blank other than the Reynolds. Thanks! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2003, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-science-fiction-novelists/175182/2 "2003-05-14T13:13:33Z")
Take a look at the [John W. Campbell Award.](http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Cnew.html) Some recent novelist winners and nominees include Win Spencer, Nalo Hopkinson, and Cory Doctorow. There’s also the [Locus Awards](http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Locus.html); they have a “best first novel” category. ---
**Author:** ![widdershins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f0a364/32.png) [@widdershins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/widdershins)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2003, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-science-fiction-novelists/175182/3 "2003-05-14T14:01:43Z")
China Mieville ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Wright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Steve\_Wright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_Wright)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2003, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-science-fiction-novelists/175182/4 "2003-05-14T15:57:02Z")
John Meaney (_To Hold infinity_, _Paradox_). If you dragged it back to 1997, you could have Jon Courtney Grimwood, too. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2003, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-science-fiction-novelists/175182/5 "2003-05-14T18:49:58Z")
Typhon’s Children, Toni Anzetti (1999). To be honest, it’s pretty good for a first novel, but _King Rat_ is a way better book. Ah what they hell, you needed nominations. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![culture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/958977/32.png) [@culture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/culture)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2003, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-science-fiction-novelists/175182/6 "2003-05-14T19:07:29Z")
ummm, Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds, ummm … loved that book! His other two are good also. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2003, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-science-fiction-novelists/175182/7 "2003-05-14T19:20:20Z")
I’d say Michael Swanwick, but I see that _Stations of the Tide_ came out in 1991! That makes me feel old… ---
**Author:** ![fortytwo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f9ae1b/32.png) [@fortytwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fortytwo)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2003, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-science-fiction-novelists/175182/8 "2003-05-14T23:19:53Z")
How about Adam Roberts? Salt On Stone He’s British and good, what more could you ask for. V ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2003, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-science-fiction-novelists/175182/9 "2003-05-14T23:53:08Z")
I’ve got Salt here in front of me now. Good spaceship. * * * Sci-fi worldbuilding at [http://www.orionsarm.com/main.html](http://www.orionsarm.com/main.html) ---
**Author:** ![Tanaqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Tanaqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tanaqui)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-science-fiction-novelists/175182/10 "2003-05-15T00:35:37Z")
If you dragged it back to 1997, you could have Kage Baker as well. 🙂 One of my favorite authors. Ted Chiang put a collection of short stories out in 2002–I suppose that doesn’t count as a novel, but he deserves all the praise I can heap upon him. By the way, is this discussion group open to the public? It sounds like fun. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-science-fiction-novelists/175182/11 "2003-05-15T01:19:43Z")
Well, after a few complaints from the participants I dropped the “deadline” back to 1993. Tan: Sure, it’s open to the public. It’s on another message board (one actually dedicated to the Civilization series of computer games), and our current discussion on the novel _Red Mars_ can be found [here.](http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=84892) ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-science-fiction-novelists/175182/12 "2003-05-15T01:23:11Z")
Btw, that Locus site was a gem. Thanks, **RealityChuck** ---
**Author:** ![Atreyu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@Atreyu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atreyu)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-science-fiction-novelists/175182/13 "2003-05-15T01:26:19Z")
Well, now that the cut-off point has been pushed back to 1993, allow me to recommend Jonathan Lethem, whose first novel, Gun, With Occasional Music was published in 1994. It was named “Best First Novel” by Locus in 1995. Gun, With Occasional Music is a fantastic read, and I also greatly enjoyed As She Climbed Across the Table, Amnesia Moon, and his short-story collection, The Wall of the Sky, The Wall of the Eye. Lethem has also written a non-science fiction novel called Motherless Brooklyn, which I enjoyed. ---
**Author:** ![SpaceGhostofArrakis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@SpaceGhostofArrakis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpaceGhostofArrakis)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-science-fiction-novelists/175182/14 "2003-05-15T01:26:58Z")
Yer cheatin’ **JohnT** … ~Lonestar. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-science-fiction-novelists/175182/15 "2003-05-15T01:34:48Z")
Hell, just trying to get y’all some help! I’ve already nominated _my_ book. Btw, Turtledove wrote his first in 1987. Try again. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-science-fiction-novelists/175182/16 "2003-05-15T02:57:32Z")
I don’t have access to my books right now and I don’t know when they were published (I _think_ it was post 1993), but I very much enjoyed John Cramer’s _Twistor_ and _Einstein’s Bridge_. Good hard science fiction, written by a physicist. Both have similarities to Gregory Benford’s _Timescape_. ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-science-fiction-novelists/175182/17 "2003-05-15T03:49:21Z")
I just read the first novel of Steven Chambers, _Hope’s End_. It’s from 2001. ---
**Author:** ![Super\_Gnat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Super\_Gnat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Super_Gnat)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-science-fiction-novelists/175182/18 "2003-05-15T04:45:06Z")
Nalo Hopkinson is sorta fantasy/science ficcy. Her book _Midnight Robber_ is exclusively sci-fi, so you might want to check that out. ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-science-fiction-novelists/175182/19 "2003-05-15T05:55:43Z")
If you are including Fantasy/Horror, Jim Butcher’s first book was **Storm Front** in 2000. Start of a series set in modern day Chicago and a lot of fun. Or there is S. L. Viehl’s **Stardoc** , sort of a modern day version of the Sector General books, but not quite as optomistic. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-science-fiction-novelists/175182/20 "2003-05-15T13:16:37Z")
I’d like to recommend the novels of Liz Williams (and not just because she’s one of my friends). I enjoyed her first two books: _[Empire of Bones](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0553583778/qid=1053004121/sr=2-2/ref=sr_2_2/103-4235974-4068654)_ _[The Ghost Sister](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0553583743/ref=pd_bxgy_text_1/103-4235974-4068654?v=glance&s=books&st=*)_ There’s also _[The Poison Master](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0553584987/ref=pd_sim_books_1/103-4235974-4068654?v=glance&s=books)_, which I haven’t read yet; it looks to be closer to fantasy than science fiction. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-science-fiction-novelists/175182.md?page=2)